Criminal Records

Criminal Records, which are records of a person's criminal history, can give information about any possible misdemeanours of
your ancestor.These are some of the courts where an ancestor's
trial may have been held.

If you find your ancestor was found
guilty, and depending on the offence, they may have been sent to prison or
transported.I have also written an article about prison
records and/or transportations.

Criminal Records - Quarter, Borough and Petty Sessions

These sessions were held every 3 months in all the counties of England and Wales and were before justices of the peace.

A
wide range of crimes were tried, such as arson and burglary, at the quarter
sessions. The preliminary hearing of a more serious offence such as murder or
manslaughter could have been held at a quarter session but could not actually
be tried there.

Borough Sessions were held on the same basis as quarter sessions, but took place in towns and cities.

At a Petty Session the justice of the peace dealt with more minor offences
and juvenile offenders. Details are kept at the
appropriate Record
Office.

Assizes

Assizes, known as the courts of assize, another form of criminal records, were created in the 16th Century and were conducted until 1971, when they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971, and replaced by the Crown Court. Assizes were held in county towns across the country, being presided over by itinerant judges who travelled from Westminster. England and Wales have been divided into six judicial circuits since the 12th century, these being the areas covered by judges visiting these places.

The judges covered a number of counties and this arrangement was referred to as the ‘circuit’.Murder could only be tried at this hearing and was presided over by the judge and 12 jurors.

When a serious crime came before a quarter session it was referred to the assizes, the defendant being remanded in custody until the next assize session.

Palatinate Court

Cheshire, Durham and Lancashire were governed differently to other counties
and were known as ‘palatinates’.They had their own courts and cases similar to
assizes were held at individual courts.In 1830, the Palatinate
Court of Chester was abolished.A new circuit was incorporated which included
Wales and Chester.The Palatinate Courts of Lancashire and Durham were
abolished in 1876. These counties then joined assize circuits.

Old Bailey Sessions

The most important criminal court in England is the Old Bailey Sessions
House which, from 1834, was known as the Central Criminal Court. Old Bailey Online has
an online index to the proceedings of the Old Bailey from 1674-1913.

Details of trials at the Old Bailey can also be
found in the National Archives and a detailed guideis available.

Courts in Wales

Wales was subject to its own laws until 1543 and this included Marcher Law.Marcher Law governed the region bordering England.The main court in Wales, now
abolished, was the Court of Great Sessions, and this was established when Wales
was incorporated within the English Legal System from 1543.

The court dealt
with criminal and civil cases until it was abolished in 1830.There were four
circuits for the Welsh Counties.The exception to this being Monmouthshire that
was attached to the Oxford Circuit of English assizes.The National Library of Wales
holds details of these.After 1830, the English assize
system was extended to Wales.